Near the Minster rises an ornate gothic revival octagon
honoring the York men who died in second Boer
War (1899-1902). A mere 500,000 British troops faced a mighty force of
88,000 from the two Boer republics. It was the Brits most costly war since
they helped whip Napoleon nearly a century earlier. In those days,
the British economy (and most others) depended upon gold; the Boers controlled
the largest gold-mining complex outside their control. (You were wondering
what we fought about before we all got dependent upon oil?) The Boers
eventually resorted to guerilla warfare and the British responded with
scorched-earth tactics and concentration camps which eventually won the war and
South Africa's independence. Welcome to the Commonwealth! Or, your
former wealth is now part of our commons.
The memorial was erected in 1905 and contained the names of all those from York who died in the war. Later it attracted a rowdy crowd of street drinkers and fell into neglect. A volunteer group restored it around 2000. Still vandalism and graffiti plague the statue. Here's a somewhat foggy close-up:
